2025-06-25
Al-Raya Newspaper: The Nature of Relations Between Britain and Russia
Russian-British relations have been volatile and very tense since the 18th century, and the hostility between them is clear and obvious. For example: Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, said on Wednesday that Britain is Moscow's "eternal enemy" and that any British official who helps Ukraine in the ongoing war between the two countries can be considered a legitimate military target.
In response to a statement by British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly that Ukraine has the right to use its force outside its borders, Medvedev said that "stupid British officials" should remember that Britain can be considered "at war" with Moscow.
Russia inherited the Soviet Union with its problems and its perspective, including the view of the English, and inherited with it the inherent hostility with the difference in capabilities and potential.
In the book Political Views of Hizb ut-Tahrir, it is stated: "British policy is still working strongly against Russia in various ways, internationally, and in micro-policies, and is still taking good deliberation, deception, and hidden methods to keep America as its support, and to resist American policy in what it is doing against England. And if there is no hope that Russia will be lenient with England,...".
Britain, as is well known, is a war instigator, and it has found what it was looking for in the war in Ukraine for reasons including:
1- Searching for a global and European role and a foothold for it, and it is the owner of cunning, ingenuity, and malice.
2- Occupying America in the war and trying to prolong it, and if possible, involving NATO in it.
3- The difference in British policy priorities from American ones. While America sees the priority of foreign policy as containing the danger of China, then striking Russia with Europe to weaken both sides and entangling Russia, as American policy does not work to weaken Russia completely, but wants it to have a thorn to be a bogeyman for Europe and to remain under its wing and not think of independence while bearing the cost of its protection, and this can only be if Russia is a fierce claw, unlike British policy, which sees Russia as being at the top of its priorities and not the Chinese danger, which comes later. China is an economic danger far from Britain, and there is no historical hostility between them as there is with Russia, and with its awareness of the seriousness of China, it does not make it at the top of its priorities as is the case with American foreign policy.
Britain has found what it was looking for in the war between Russia and Ukraine, where it began from the beginning to heat up the atmosphere, so "Britain began training new Ukrainian soldiers on its territory as part of its aid to Kyiv in the face of the Russian war. British Defense Minister Ben Wallace stated during his visit to a Ukrainian soldier training camp last Saturday: "Using the global experience of the British Army, we will help Ukraine rebuild its forces and increase its resistance."
Britain said, as stated in a Sky News report on March 6, 2022, "that the ceasefire proposed by Russia in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol was most likely an attempt to distract international condemnation while allowing itself to reorganize its forces to launch a renewed attack."
Moscow responded that "it will not forget London's role in arming Kyiv with weapons used against Russian forces and soldiers."
The i newspaper, published in London by the Daily Mail media group, stated that Britain has become "Enemy No. 1" of Russia after the thaw in relations between Washington and Moscow. The newspaper attributed this shift in a report by its senior correspondent, Richard Holmes, to "the leading role Britain is playing against Russian aggression in Ukraine, which has cemented its position as Moscow's No. 1 enemy now."
In view of the close relationship between US President Trump and Russian President Putin, it quoted one source as saying that a state of distrust has recently begun to emerge in the exchange of intelligence information between British security officials and their American counterparts. Stephen Blank, a researcher at the Royal Institute for United Services, a defense and security research center based in London, said: "US intelligence agencies are so politicized at the moment that their partners from foreign intelligence agencies cannot guarantee that their confidential information will not reach Russia. He added that there is a tendency among decision-makers from individuals or work units in US intelligence agencies to pursue their own secret policies. Blank considered this a very dangerous development that could endanger the security of sources."
It is known that Britain does not fear the Russian bear, despite the large difference between them in weapons, equipment, and the army, because it is a member of NATO, so it is challenging Russia under the pretext of Russian aggression and is working to demonize Russia with all its might and show it as a rogue state that is outside international law, and Britain has provided financial aid, equipment, training, information, and everything it can do in the war. Rather, the i newspaper attributed in its report on its website to a British intelligence official as saying that in the absence of cooperation with Washington, private defense and security companies may intervene to fill the gap that may occur due to the lack of information from US intelligence.
The matter has even reached the point of threatening actual participation in the war, as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed on Sunday his country's readiness to send troops to Ukraine, considering that Kyiv's security is essential to ensuring the security of Britain and Europe. He wrote in the Daily Telegraph that Britain is ready to put its forces on the ground if necessary, noting his participation in a European meeting in Paris. Starmer stressed the importance of close coordination with the United States, believing that "American support is essential for a lasting peace" against any new Russian move.
Britain's seriousness appeared in its position that it was actually behind the Spider Web operation, which resulted in the destruction of 41 aircraft, including strategic bombers, and destroyed more than a third of the Russian strategic aircraft fleet (between 7 and 9 aircraft of the strategic bombers of the types "A-50", Tupolev-95, and Tupolev-22M3), and this qualitative operation cannot be undertaken by Ukraine without international assistance and considerable international cover.
Keilin said: "Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with US President Donald Trump yesterday and discussed the issue of the Ukrainian attack, and we hope that we will also get a response from London, because this type of attack involves the use of high technology, the so-called geospatial data, which is only available to London and Washington."
Trump's current policy is very opposed to these actions, with the spokesperson for the US presidency, Caroline Leavitt, stating that Trump was not aware in advance of Kyiv's drone attacks on Russia.
As for Britain's position, which showed silence, it escalates the war and then waits for the Russian response, and if it is not decisive, it drags Europe into a direct war and adopts the action after a period.
However, Russia realizes that Britain is behind the operation, as the Russian ambassador in London, Andrei Keilin, accused Britain of participating in the widespread Ukrainian attack on five air bases inside Russian territory, which led to the destruction of dozens of warplanes, describing the operation as a dangerous escalation "that could drag the world into a third world war."
In an interview with Sky News, the Russian ambassador in London, Andrei Keilin, said that the operation, codenamed "Spider Web", could not have been carried out without technical and intelligence support from countries with advanced capabilities in collecting and analyzing geographic data, such as Britain. He added: "This type of attack requires geo-spatial data that only London and Washington possess. We know very well the extent of British involvement in Ukraine."
Britain is aware of the danger of an indirect Russian response, as Putin has stated more than once that Moscow "does not intend to attack NATO countries," stressing that this "makes no sense." In light of the lack of confidence in the American ally, especially with the Trump administration, Britain has activated strong and ready plans for a range of possible emergencies. "The British newspaper The Telegraph said that Britain is secretly preparing for the possibility of a direct military attack from Russia amid fears that the country is unprepared for war." The Daily Express quoted Hiley's comment on the increase in British spending on defense issues, where he said: "This is a message to Moscow. Britain is strengthening its armed forces and industrial base. This is part of our readiness to fight if necessary."
In conclusion, the inherent hostility between the two countries is apparent to all followers, and it has come to the surface and the conflict has become exposed to everyone.
By: Professor Hassan Hamdan
Source: Al-Raya Newspaper
